Three Guiding Principles of Pilates

In Joseph Pilates 1945 book "Return To Life" he talks about the three guiding principles - whole body health, whole body commitment, and breath. “Wellness for Life”, Wellgevity’s motto, perfectly captures these principles.

Whole Body Health

Joseph refers to this principle as the development and integration of the body, mind, and spirit. According to him, it can be obtained through simple practices such as proper diet, exercise, good hygiene, sufficient sleep, exposure to sunshine and fresh air, as well as maintenance of balance in aspects of life such as recreation, relaxation, and work.

At Wellgevity, recreation is a very important component which should be focused on. We all need our “Me Time” and it is especially important to get this "Me Time" whenever you get stressed by work and other personal issues. Involvement in our classes such as Pilates or Barre can definitely provide you with the diversion that you need. It is amazing to see how our clients enter the studio to see how they leave the end of the class, it is a transformation right there! For us an instructors it is very rewarding to see how a class can make such a positive effect.

Each of our session starts with our clients sharing how their bodies are feeling. If there are any pains or aches, our instructors work with our clients on releasing techniques to help relieve the issues. As the session ends, a meditation story will be read. The purpose of these stories is to help our clients achieve a relaxed state. Many clients have say that even though they feel some burn during certain exercises, in the end, it’s all worth it. They felt more refreshed and full of energy. Resulting in - Whole Body Health.

Whole Body Commitment

Mindset is a strong indicator of what you can or cannot do. If you have the right mindset, you push yourself to strive constantly for you to get what you want. It is definitely true that when you believe and persist, you can do ANYTHING!!

In Pilates, it is essential to develop a strong mental and physical discipline to have whole body health. Remember that there’s no competition in our classes. Focus on yourself, especially to what you are doing. Keep in mind, that as you perform the exercises, quality outweighs quantity. Commit yourself to perform perfect reps. Pay extra attention to your movements, alignment, flow, and breathing. This is how whole body commitment is attained.

Breathing

Visualize yourself with the great Joseph Pilates in front of you while he instructs you in his thick German accent, “In d'air, to out d'air”.

Joseph had come up with the concept of an “internal shower”, a mechanism which can aid in obtaining physical and mental invigoration and rejuvenation. He suggested that breath is a vital aspect of the body’s overall functioning which improves oxygenation, volume capacity, and other physical components. When we practice full steady inhalation and exhalation, the tissues in the body become more oxygenated. Also, this cleans the body of metabolic wastes and other impurities are eliminated.

I hope this information provided you with better insights and deeper understanding of Pilates. It is my passion to share what knowledge I have and help my clients to achieve “Wellness for Life”.